BACKGROUND: The effects of acupuncture have varied in different randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and there are many factors that influence treatment effect of acupuncture in different outcomes, with conflicting results. OBJECTIVE: To identify factors and their impact on the treatment effect of acupuncture in different outcomes. METHODS: Acupuncture RCTs were searched from 7 databases including Medline (PubMed), Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, VIP Database, and China Biology Medicine disc between January 1st, 2015 and December 31st, 2019. Eligible studies must compare acupuncture to no acupuncture, sham acupuncture, or waiting lists, and report at least 1 patient-important outcome. A multi-level meta-regression was conducted using a 3-level robust mixed model and univariate analyses were performed for all independent variables, even those excluded from the multivariable model due to collinearities. We used thresholds of 0.2 and 0.4 for the difference of standardized mean differences (SMDs), categorising them as small (<0.2), moderate (0.2-0.4), or large (>0.4) effects. RESULTS: The pain construct analysis involved 211 effect estimates from 153 studies and 14 independent variables. High-frequency acupuncture treatment sessions produced larger effects compared to low-frequency sessions [large magnitude, the difference of adjusted SMDs 0.46, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.07 to 0.84; P=0.02]. The non-pain symptoms construct analysis comprised 323 effect estimates from 231 studies and 15 independent variables. Penetrating acupuncture showed moderately larger effects when compared to non-penetrating acupuncture (0.30, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.53; P=0.01). The function construct analysis included 495 effect estimates from 274 studies and 14 independent variables. Penetrating acupuncture and the flexible acupuncture regimen showed moderately larger effects, compared to non-penetrating acupuncture and fixed regimen, respectively (0.40, 95% CI 0 to 0.80; P=0.05; 0.29, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.53; P=0.01). CONCLUSIONS High-frequency acupuncture sessions appear to be a more effective approach to managing painful symptoms. Penetrating acupuncture demonstrated greater effect in relieving non-painful symptoms. Both penetrating acupuncture type and flexible acupuncture regimen were linked to significant treatment effects in function outcomes. Future studies should consider the factors that are significantly associated with the effects of acupuncture in patient-important outcomes.
Humans ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; Pain ; Pain Management ; China

Objective To investigate the current status of off-label drug use(OLDU)management in tertiary hospitals of Guizhou province and to provide baseline evidence for developing a unified administration regulation for OLDU in Guizhou province.Methods In line with the relevant policies and regulations,a questionnaire including basic information about the person filling out the form,basic information about the hospitals,and information about OLDU was developed.The questionnaire was sent to 84 tertiary hospitals in Guizhou province through the Wenjuanxing.Results A total of 84 questionnaires were distributed and recovered,with a response rate of 100.00%.Of the 84 hospitals,77 had OLDU,of which 68(88.31%)had established a management system for OLDU.Among the 77 hospitals with OLDU,65(84.42%),42(54.55%),58(75.32%),36(46.75%),15(19.48%),and 21(27.27%)hospitals respectively,required approval from the Committee on Drug Administration and Pharmacotherapy before OLDU,restricted the qualifications of doctors prescribing OLDU,required informed consent from patients or their families before OLDU,recorded the matters and reasons in the medical records of patients treated with OLDU,followed up patients in their files and evaluated the reasonableness of the OLDU,and carried out special reviews for OLDU.Only 30(38.96%)hospitals have set up a catalogue of OLDUs,and 58(75.32%)hospitals have urgent needs to set up a unified provincial catalogue of OLDUs.Conclusion The pharmacy administration level of OLDU in tertiary hospitals of Guizhou province is relatively low,so there is an urgent need to establish a unified OLDU management system and medication catalog.

Patients with severe trauma require an extremely timely treatment and transfusion plays an irreplaceable role in the emergency treatment of such patients. An increasing number of evidence-based medicinal evidences and clinical practices suggest that patients with severe traumatic bleeding benefit from early transfusion of low-titer group O whole blood or hemostatic resuscitation with red blood cells, plasma and platelet of a balanced ratio. However, the current domestic mode of blood supply cannot fully meet the requirements of timely and effective blood transfusion for emergency treatment of patients with severe trauma in clinical practice. In order to solve the key problems in blood supply and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma, Branch of Clinical Transfusion Medicine of Chinese Medical Association, Group for Trauma Emergency Care and Multiple Injuries of Trauma Branch of Chinese Medical Association, Young Scholar Group of Disaster Medicine Branch of Chinese Medical Association organized domestic experts of blood transfusion medicine and trauma treatment to jointly formulate Chinese expert consensus on blood support mode and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma patients ( version 2024). Based on the evidence-based medical evidence and Delphi method of expert consultation and voting, 10 recommendations were put forward from two aspects of blood support mode and transfusion strategies, aiming to provide a reference for transfusion resuscitation in the emergency treatment of severe trauma and further improve the success rate of treatment of patients with severe trauma.

Objective Electromagnetic navigation was used to observe and measure important anatomical structures through endoscopic endoscopic approach (EEA) to the ventral skull base to provide data for clinical surgery. Methods Using electromagnetic navigation to measure the anatomical structure of the central and paracentral ventral skull base on 10 fresh cadavers, the internal carotid artery (ICA) was the most important. Results Electromagnetic navigation helped to determine the course of important neurovascular. The ICA of the ventral skull base was divided into 5 segments+ 7 major branches, and the length and course of each were measured and recorded. Conclusion The identification and protection of ICA is the key to EEA treatment of ventral skull base lesions, and electromagnetic navigation assistance can improve the efficiency and safety of EEA surgery.

【Objective】 To explore the effect of high-fat and high-fructose diet on mouse intestinal barrier function, as well as the role of ketohexokinase (KHK), the key enzyme in fructose metabolism, in intestinal barrier impairment. 【Methods】 Eight-week-old male control C57BL/6J mice and Khk^-/- mice were randomly divided into control + normal diet (ND), control + high-fat and high-fructose diet (HFHFD), Khk^-/-+ normal diet (ND+Khk^-/-), and Khk^-/-+ high-fat and high-fructose diet (HFHFD+Khk^-/-) groups, with eight mice in each group. During the high-fat and high-fructose diet and normal diet, the body weight changes of mice in different groups were recorded. After the intervention, the blood glucose and insulin levels of mice in each group were detected. The intestinal barrier function and inflammation level of mice were evaluated by detecting intestinal water content, permeability, tight junction protein expression, serum and intestinal inflammatory factor levels. 【Results】 Compared with ND group, HFHFD group significantly increased the body weight, blood glucose and insulin levels of mice, increased the intestinal water content and permeability, decreased the expression of tight junction proteins, and increased inflammatory factors of the serum and intestines. In the two groups fed with high-fat and high-fructose diet, the body weight, blood glucose and insulin levels of the HFHFD+Khk^-/- group were significantly lower than those of HFHFD group, and the intestinal barrier dysfunction and inflammation were significantly improved. 【Conclusion】 KHK, a key enzyme in fructose metabolism, is involved in the impairment of intestinal barrier caused by high-fat and high-fructose diet. Knockout of Khk gene significantly improved intestinal barrier dysfunction and the inflammation level.

【Objective】 To explore the effect of cilostazol on intestinal barrier function in type 2 diabetes (T2DM). 【Methods】 The GSE142153 dataset was downloaded from GEO database to analyze gene changes in diabetic patients. Eight-week-old male db/db mice and control m/m mice were randomly divided into m/m+cmc, m/m+cilo, db/db+cmc, and db/db+cilo groups. Mice in different groups were given cilostazol and corresponding solvents for 4 weeks. We detected the levels of serum sCD40L and the expression of CD40 in intestinal tissue, and evaluated the mice’s intestinal barrier function by examining intestinal permeability, water content, bacterial number, and tight junction protein expression in different groups. 【Results】 Differential expressed genes were enriched in platelet activation and endothelial barrier function pathways in diabetic patients. Compared with those in the control group, the levels of serum sCD40L in db/db diabetic mice elevated significantly, and the CD40 expression, permeability, water content and bacterial number in intestinal tissue increased obviously, while the expression of tight junction protein decreased. Cilostazol treatment in diabetic mice decreased the levels of serum sCD40L and CD40, and alleviated significantly the intestinal barrier dysfunction. 【Conclusion】 Cilostazol attenuated the damage of intestinal barrier function in T2DM, and its protective effect may be related to the inhibition of platelet activation in diabetic mice.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the report quality, methodological quality and evidence quality of the systematic reviews and meta-analyses (SRs/MAs) of acupuncture for in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET). METHODS: The SRs/MAs of acupuncture for IVF-ET were searched electronically from databases of CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, from inception of each database to September 27th, 2022. Two reviewers independently screened the literature and extracted the data. Using PRISMA statement, the AMSTAR 2 scale and the GRADE system, the report quality, methodological quality and evidence quality of the included SRs/MAs were assessed. RESULTS: A total of 28 SRs/MAs were included, with PRISMA scores ranging from 8.5 points to 27 points. The problems of report quality focused on protocol and registration, retrieval, risk of bias in studies, additional analysis, limitations and funding. The methodological quality of included studies was generally low, reflecting on items 2, 3, 7, 10, 12 and 16. A total of 85 outcome indexes were included in the GRADE system for evidence grade evaluation. Most of the evidences were low or very low in quality. The reasons for the downgrade were related to study limitations, inconsistency, imprecision and publication bias. CONCLUSIONS Acupuncture therapy improves the outcomes of IVF-ET, but the methodological quality and evidence quality of related SRs/MAs are low. It is recommended to conduct more high-quality studies in the future to provide more reliable evidences.
Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; Databases, Factual ; Embryo Transfer ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Publication Bias ; Systematic Reviews as Topic

OBJECTIVE: To summarize and identify the available instruments/methods assessing the adequacy of acupuncture in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for proposing a new improved instrument. METHODS: A systematic literature search was carried out in 7 electronic databases from inception until 21st November 2022. Any study evaluating the adequacy or quality of acupuncture, specifying specific acupuncture treatment-related factors as criteria of subgroup analysis, or developing an instrument/tool to assess the adequacy or quality of acupuncture in an RCT was included. Basic information, characteristics and contents of acupuncture adequacy assessment were presented as frequencies and percentages. RESULTS: Forty studies were included in this systematic review. Thirty-five studies (87.50%) were systematic reviews, none of which used formal methods to develop the assessment instruments/methods of acupuncture adequacy; of 5 methodological studies, only 1 study used a relatively formal method. Thirty-two studies (82.05%) assessed the components of acupuncture, while 7 (17.95%) assessed the overall quality of acupuncture. An independent assessment instrument/method was used to assess acupuncture adequacy in 29 studies (74.35%), whereas as one part of a methodological quality assessment scale in 10 (25.65%). Only 9 (23.00%) studies used the assessment results for subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis or the criteria for inclusion in the meta-analysis. CONCLUSION Assessment contents for adequacy or quality of acupuncture in RCTs hadn't still reached consensus and no widely used assessment tools appeared. The methodology of available assessment instruments/scales is far from formal and rigorous. A new instrument/tool assessing adequacy of acupuncture should be developed using a formal method.
Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic

As an indicator that measures the degree of implementation of intervention measures during the implementation process, fidelity could be used for monitoring and quality evaluation of the completion degree of intervention measures, and plays an important role in improving the degree of intervention implementation and clarifying the factors that affect intervention implementation. This article aims to introduce the connotation and significance, measurement, control, and current application status of fidelity, as well as the current application status of fidelity in acupuncture-moxibustion clinical research and its inspiration for future research. Meanwhile, based on the existing evaluation tool development methods of fidelity and the characteristics of acupuncture-moxibustion clinical research, a preliminary fidelity evaluation framework is proposed. Introducing fidelity into acupuncture-moxibustion clinical research could improve the implementation quality and compliance of acupuncture-moxibustion in clinical research, increase the credibility and effectiveness of clinical research results, and promote the transformation of acupuncture-moxibustion experience into easily learnable and promotable treatment plans.
Moxibustion ; Acupuncture Therapy

The present study aimed to explore the main active components and underlying mechanisms of Marsdenia tenacissima in the treatment of ovarian cancer(OC) through network pharmacology, molecular docking, and in vitro cell experiments. The active components of M. tenacissima were obtained from the literature search, and their potential targets were obtained from SwissTargetPrediction. The OC-related targets were retrieved from Therapeutic Target Database(TTD), Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man(OMIM), GeneCards, and PharmGKB. The common targets of the drug and the disease were screened out by Venn diagram. Cytoscape was used to construct an "active component-target-disease" network, and the core components were screened out according to the node degree. The protein-protein interaction(PPI) network of the common targets was constructed by STRING and Cytoscape, and the core targets were screened out according to the node degree. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses of potential therapeutic targets were carried out with DAVID database. Molecular docking was used to determine the binding activity of some active components to key targets by AutoDock. Finally, the anti-OC activity of M. tenacissima extract was verified based on SKOV3 cells in vitro. The PI3K/AKT signaling pathway was selected for in vitro experimental verification according to the results of GO function and KEGG pathway analyses. Network pharmacology results showed that 39 active components, such as kaempferol, 11α-O-benzoyl-12β-O-acetyltenacigenin B, and drevogenin Q, were screened out, involving 25 core targets such as AKT1, VEGFA, and EGFR, and the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway was the main pathway of target protein enrichment. The results of molecular docking also showed that the top ten core components showed good binding affinity to the top ten core targets. The results of in vitro experiments showed that M. tenacissima extract could significantly inhibit the proliferation of OC cells, induce apoptosis of OC cells through the mitochondrial pathway, and down-regulate the expression of proteins related to the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. This study shows that M. tenacissima has the characteristics of multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway synergistic effect in the treatment of OC, which provides a theoretical basis for in-depth research on the material basis, mechanism, and clinical application.
Humans ; Female ; Marsdenia ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Network Pharmacology ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; Ovarian Neoplasms/genetics* ; Databases, Genetic ; Plant Extracts ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology*